Barbie (media franchise)

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This article is about the multimedia franchise featuring Barbie. For the brand and fashion doll, see Barbie. For the toy line, see List of Barbie's friends and family. For the list of computer-animated films, see List of Barbie films. For the live-action film, see Barbie (film).
Barbie
File:Barbie Logo.svg
The official logo from 1959 until 1975; re-used since 2009
Created by Mattel, Inc.
Original work Barbie by Ruth Handler
Owner Mattel
Years 1959–present
Print publications
Book(s) 400+ (multiple publishers)
Comics <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Films and television
Film(s) <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • 40+ (computer-animated films)
  • 1 (live-action film)
Short film(s) 4
Web series
Animated series
Television special(s) 2
Games
Video game(s) List of Barbie video games
Miscellaneous
Toy(s) List of Barbie's friends and family
Related My Scene
Official website
Official website

Barbie has appeared in a media franchise produced by American toy and entertainment company Mattel since the late 1980s.[1] The franchise encompasses a series of computer-animated films that later expanded to several other audiovisual media, revolving around the fashion doll often being portrayed as a modern girl playing various roles. It is referred to among fans as the "Barbie Cinematic Universe", and it has become one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.[2] From 2002 until 2017, the films aired regularly on Nickelodeon in the United States. Since then, they have instead been released on streaming services like Netflix, Google Play, and Apple TV+. In 2020, the films got revamped into streaming television films, which are marketed by Mattel as "specials" and picked up for television broadcast in multiple countries and regions/territories.

Since Barbie's debut in 1959, the franchise not only produced the range of dolls with their clothes and accessories, but also a large range of branded goods such as books, comic books, and video games. The franchise released two animated TV specials in 1987; Barbie and the Rockers: Out of This World and its sequel. It later started a series of films in 2001 with the direct-to-video release of its first feature-length film, Barbie in the Nutcracker. The film series made its American television debut on Nickelodeon in 2002 with its second film, Barbie as Rapunzel. For the following 15 years, the films were released both on home video formats[lower-alpha 1] and as TV specials on Nickelodeon.[4] The 35th release, Barbie: Video Game Hero in 2017, marked the last time a Barbie film both aired on American television and released on home video formats.[5] In addition to the films, the franchise has expanded in the production of several television and web series; including Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse, Barbie: Dreamtopia, Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures, and Barbie: It Takes Two, as well as a live-action film to be released in 2023.

In response to a growing rise of digital and interactive media (as well as the gradual decline of dolls, toys, and accessories) in the 1980s, Mattel adapted Barbie into various facets of media and entertainment beyond the television advertisement of its dolls and related accessories (which was a prolific marketing strategy in the past) including computer-animated films, television shows, web series, theatrical events, soundtrack albums and streaming media content. In the films, Barbie is featured as a virtual actress playing the main character, and often being portrayed as a modern girl telling the story to one of her sisters or a younger friend – as a parable to present affairs. Scholars examining how the Barbie films differ from other princess narratives have concluded that Mattel intentionally attempted to remediate its brand based on feminist criticisms through storytelling in the films.[6][7]

Origins

Barbie's net popularity on the toy market began to decline in the 1980s,[6] and struggled further in 2001 when MGA Entertainment introduced a line of dolls under the name Bratz, whose sexualized characters contrasted with Barbie's older, chaste image.[8][9] Mattel therefore attempted to overhaul the Barbie brand to keep the toy relevant to consumers in the modern age by bringing in consultants and conducting research on key market groups. Mattel consultants initially considered reducing the Barbie's breast size, but later claimed that the doll's figure could not be changed because "being consistent is one of her biggest strengths".[10] This move might also have been rejected because of the success of MGA's sexualized Bratz dolls. Mattel's team also considered targeting market audiences of career women and their daughters by introducing lines of Doctor or Lawyer Barbies.[11] However, Mattel's research showed that girls were spending more time online than playing with physical dolls.[8][11][12] Therefore, targeted career Barbies were discarded in favor of looking for more interactive platforms through online or digital media.

History

In 1987, Mattel produced two television specials with DIC Animation City and Saban Productions; Barbie and the Rockers: Out of This World and its sequel Barbie and the Sensations: Rockin' Back to Earth, both featuring Barbie as the leader of a rock band. Between 1980s and early 2000s, Barbie got featured in video games, many of which were distributed by Vivendi-Universal Games. The launch of Mattel Entertainment in 2001[13] coincided with the creation of the Barbie films with the direct-to-video release of Barbie in the Nutcracker. The films initially revolved around Barbie being re-imagined as a princess and eventually expanded into various worlds of fashion and fantasy. A primary benefit of this strategy revolved around marketing, as Mattel could sell dolls specific to each film separately from the video sales and merchandise related to props, costumes, and sets from the films.[9]

Tim Kilpin, then-senior vice-president for girls marketing at Mattel, stated: "What you see now are several different Barbie worlds anchored by content and storytelling. A girl can understand what role Barbie is playing, what the other characters are doing, and how they interrelate. That's a much richer level of story that leads to a richer level of play."[14] The strategy worked as U.S. Barbie sales, led by the princess line, "increased by two percent in 2006, saving Mattel's bottom line at a time when its worldwide share of the toy market was declining."[11][15] Within the films, Mattel included performances by well-known companies and orchestras, such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic and the New York City Ballet.[8][9] These associations could have been included as an enrichment strategy on behalf of Mattel's marketing team, to help the films be seen as educational.

In the midst of the films, Canadian animation studio, Arc Productions, Inc., which was just renamed from Starz Animation Toronto[16][17][18] (originally Daniel Krech Productions (DKP) and DKP Studios) and had new-consortium ownership and structural revamp, produced the first non-Barbie-film production for Mattel in 2011, a web series called Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse which debuted on the official Barbie website and YouTube on 11 January 2012 and concluded on 27 November 2015. The web series later spawned two television specials which were broadcast in the U.S. on Nickelodeon. Impressed, Mattel gave them four Barbie films to produce while enlisting them as the third production partner after Mainframe Studios (at the time known as "Rainmaker Entertainment") and Technicolor.

Israeli animation studio, Snowball Studios, with support from the Jerusalem Film and Television Fund,[19] produced another web series and created by Julia Pistor for Mattel Playground Productions known as Barbie: Dreamtopia.[20][21] This series of 2-minute to 4-minute shorts launched on 21 May 2016 by Mattel's then-latest division, Mattel Creations, on a YouTube affiliate platform known as YouTube Kids. The web shorts series later spawned an eponymous television film (distributed by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and was broadcast on television in over five countries and regions/territories), one web-based special, and a 26-episode web series – therefore invoking the first web-exclusive Barbie media franchise. This would be the catalyst for scholars and enthusiasts alike to notice Mattel heavily invested and involved in releasing more related Barbie web series and miniseries bundles on YouTube and its variants; YouTube Kids and YouTube Shorts.

Through the short video bundles on YouTube, Mattel also provided a platform for Barbie to give its audience a look into her fictional life while trying to educate them along the way. With a YouTube channel that has over ten million subscribers,[22] Mattel reintroduced Barbie as a YouTuber through a web series called Barbie Vlogger (or Barbie Vlogs), uploading its first video on 19 June 2015. Julia Pistor, who was also the executive producer and writer of the series, stated: "Barbie is conscious of language and words; she talks about intention and she’s self-reflective. While we might use words that kids sometimes need to look up, we try to be true to Barbie being a 17-year-old influencer." By giving a self-reflective nature to Barbie’s character, this would allow her to discuss difficult topics (such as mental health and racism) in such a way that it inspires its audience to think about and discuss those topics as well.[23][24][25]

With the success of its online platforms, Mattel would continue to produce web series and mini-series on YouTube and its variants. On the other hand, the media franchise as a whole has moved to streaming services, primarily on Netflix but also including Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, and Apple TV+, beginning with Barbie: Dolphin Magic in 2017. In addition, Mattel signed an agreement on 1 May 2020 with Arts Music, Inc., a then-newest record label of Warner Music Group, to make thousands of songs from their brand portfolio – including Barbie – available through online music streaming platforms.[26][27][28] The agreement began taking effect a week later when the soundtrack albums tied to their related productions are made available through WMG's distribution label, ADA Worldwide.

Films

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Further information: List of Barbie films

Mattel[lower-alpha 2] partnered with Canadian company, Mainframe Entertainment, (currently Mainframe Studios)[lower-alpha 3] to produce its first computer-animated feature-length film, Barbie in the Nutcracker, based on E. T. A. Hoffmann's classic tale and Tchaikovsky's accompanying ballet music, which was released in 2001. Mainframe continued to produce majority of the future films in the series.[lower-alpha 4] The first decade was dominated by films based on preexisting stories, including Brothers Grimm's fairy tales: Rapunzel and The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake ballet, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina, and Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers.[31] Due to the popularity of the 2004 film Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper (based on Mark Twain's famous novel), a remake was released in 2012 entitled Barbie: The Princess & the Popstar,[32] which itself inspired two films with a more modern look: Barbie in Rock 'N Royals in 2015 and Barbie: Princess Adventure in 2020.

The first original film in the franchise, Barbie: Fairytopia, was released in 2005, which in turn spawned the first in-series franchise made up of two sequels (Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia in 2006 and Barbie Fairytopia: Magic of the Rainbow in 2007) and two spin-offs (Barbie: Mariposa in 2008 and its sequel, Barbie: Mariposa & the Fairy Princess, in 2013).[33] The success of the first three films (Barbie in the Nutcracker, Barbie as Rapunzel, and Barbie of Swan Lake) had led to the princess-themed lineup in the series, releasing its second original film Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus in 2005. Starting with Barbie in A Mermaid Tale in early 2010, the film series moved away from the classic princess stories to focus on more modern themes like fashion, music, and on stories revolving around Barbie's family and careers.[34] In 2017, the film series was put on hiatus after Barbie: Dolphin Magic, which served as the pilot to the streaming television series, Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures, in Mattel's attempt to focus on expanding the franchise to other audiovisual media. Mattel later revamped the films in 2020 as animated "specials", beginning with the musical Barbie: Princess Adventure, all of which fall under the same "Dreamhouse Adventures" canon.[35][36]

The following is the official list of the computer-animated films in the film franchise:

# Film U.S. original release date Director(s) Screenwriter(s) Ref.
1 Barbie in the Nutcracker October 2, 2001 Owen Hurley Rob Hudnut, Linda Engelsiepen & Hilary Hinkle [37]
2 Barbie as Rapunzel October 1, 2002 Elana Lesser & Cliff Ruby [38]
3 Barbie of Swan Lake September 30, 2003 [39]
4 Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper September 28, 2004 William Lau [40]
5 Barbie: Fairytopia March 8, 2005 Walter P. Martishius Elise Allen & Diane Duane [41]
6 Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus September 20, 2005 Greg Richardson Elana Lesser & Cliff Ruby [42]
7 Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia March 14, 2006 William Lau & Walter P. Martishius Elise Allen & Diane Duane [43]
8 The Barbie Diaries May 9, 2006 Eric Fogel Elise Allen & Laura McCreary [44]
9 Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses September 19, 2006 Greg Richardson Elana Lesser & Cliff Ruby [45]
10 Barbie Fairytopia: Magic of the Rainbow March 13, 2007 William Lau Elise Allen [46]
11 Barbie as the Island Princess September 18, 2007 Greg Richardson Elana Lesser & Cliff Ruby [47]
12 Barbie: Mariposa[lower-alpha 5] February 26, 2008 Conrad Helten Elise Allen [48]
13 Barbie & the Diamond Castle September 9, 2008 Gino Nichelle Elana Lesser & Cliff Ruby [49]
14 Barbie in A Christmas Carol November 4, 2008 William Lau Elise Allen [50]
15 Barbie Presents: Thumbelina March 17, 2009 Conrad Helten [51]
16 Barbie and the Three Musketeers September 15, 2009 William Lau Amy Wolfram [52]
17 Barbie in A Mermaid Tale March 2, 2010 Adam L. Wood Elise Allen [53]
18 Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale September 14, 2010 William Lau [54]
19 Barbie: A Fairy Secret March 15, 2011 [55]
20 Barbie: Princess Charm School September 13, 2011 Ezekiel Norton [56]
21 Barbie: A Perfect Christmas November 8, 2011 Mark Baldo [57]
22 Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2 February 27, 2012 William Lau [58]
23 Barbie: The Princess & the Popstar September 11, 2012 Ezekiel Norton Steve Granat & Cydne Clark [59]
24 Barbie in the Pink Shoes February 26, 2013 Owen Hurley Alison Taylor [60]
25 Barbie: Mariposa & the Fairy Princess August 27, 2013 William Lau Elise Allen [61]
26 Barbie & Her Sisters in A Pony Tale October 22, 2013 Kyran Kelly Cydne Clark & Steve Granat [62]
27 Barbie: The Pearl Princess February 15, 2014 Ezekiel Norton [63]
28 Barbie and the Secret Door August 7, 2014 Karen J. Lloyd Brian Hohlfeld [64]
29 Barbie in Princess Power February 26, 2015 Ezekiel Norton Marsha Griffin [65]
30 Barbie in Rock 'N Royals August 13, 2015 Karen J. Lloyd [66]
31 Barbie & Her Sisters in The Great Puppy Adventure October 8, 2015 Andrew Tan Amy Wolfram [67]
32 Barbie: Spy Squad January 15, 2016 Conrad Helten Marsha Griffin & Kacey Arnold [68]
33 Barbie: Star Light Adventure August 29, 2016 Andrew Tan Kacey Arnold [69]
34 Barbie & Her Sisters in A Puppy Chase October 18, 2016 Conrad Helten Amy Wolfram & Kacey Arnold [70]
35 Barbie: Video Game Hero January 31, 2017 Conrad Helten & Ezekiel Norton Nina Bargiel [71]
36 Barbie: Dolphin Magic September 18, 2017 Conrad Helten Jennifer Skelly [72]
37 Barbie: Princess Adventure September 1, 2020 Ann Austen [73]
38 Barbie & Chelsea: The Lost Birthday April 16, 2021 Cassandra Mackay (credited as Cassi Simonds) Ann Austen & Nathaniel "Nate" Federman [74]
39 Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams September 1, 2021 Scott Pleydell-Pearce Christopher Keenan & Catherine "Kate" Splaine [75]
40 Barbie: Mermaid Power September 1, 2022 Ron Myrick Ann Austen [76]
41 Barbie: Epic Road Trip TBA TBA TBA [77]

Live-action film

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Main article: Barbie (film)

Mattel is currently producing a live-action adaptation of the toyline through its film division with the association of LuckyChap Entertainment and Heyday Films to be distributed by Warner Bros. in the United States on 21 July 2023.[78][79] The film is being directed by Greta Gerwig who co-wrote the screenplay with Noah Baumbach and stars an ensemble cast led by Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken.[80]

Television specials

Mattel released two animated TV specials in 1987 as follows:

Television/web series

Mattel has released several animated television shows, web series, and miniseries since 2012 as follows:

  • Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse, a YouTube-exclusive web series aired between 10 January 2012 to 27 November 2015 with 75 episodes (including two TV specials which aired in the United States on Nickelodeon).
  • Barbie Vlogger or Barbie Vlogs, a YouTube-exclusive CGI-animated sequences that began on 19 June 2015 and featuring Barbie as a vlogger either by herself or along with one or more of her family and friends.[82]
  • Barbie: Motion Comics, a web-based animated motion comic series that began on 5 February 2015 and is composed of miniseries, namely: Be Super (inspired by Barbie in Princess Power), Raise Your Voice (inspired by Barbie in Rock 'N Royals), and Puppy Adventures (inspired by Barbie & Her Sisters in The Great Puppy Adventure).[83]
  • Barbie: Dreamtopia, a web series that began in January 2016 with a release of 2 to 4-minute shorts on YouTube. It then spawned one 44-minute TV special (which aired on television in 5 countries/regions/territories), one web-based special and an initially-exclusive YouTube Kids series with 26 episodes. The latter was made available later on YouTube from 5 November 2017 to 1 April 2018 and aired as an actual TV series in over 6 countries.
  • Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures, an initial Netflix-exclusive streaming TV series released between 3 May 2018 and 12 April 2020, spanning 52 episodes over 5 "season" episode bundles and aired as an actual TV series in over 8 countries.
  • Barbie's Dreamworld, a YouTube-exclusive web series franchise created by Relish Studios that began on 25 January 2021 and is composed of several different miniseries, including Barbie: Return to Dreamtopia among others.[84]
  • Barbie: It Takes Two, a 2022 streaming TV serial follow-up to the film, Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams that aired on television in 5 countries/regions/territories services in between its launch in the U.S. on April 8 on Netflix. The series launched with 26 episodes, with the first half of them having its debut in the spring and the other half to follow in September.[85]
  • Barbie: Life in the City, an upcoming YouTube-exclusive web series to be released on 15 September 2022, primarily focusing on Barbie "Brooklyn" Roberts and expanding her character to emphasize her role and prominence within the brand.[86]

Short films

Mattel produced a number of animated short films featuring Barbie as tie-ins with other titles within the franchise which include as follows:

  • Barbie as Sleeping Beauty, a 1999 short film based on the fairy tale released as a TV commercial to supplement a doll line and a video game of the same name. A full-length version supposedly adapting Tchaikovsky's ballet was cancelled in 2009.[87][88]
  • Barbie: A Camping We Will Go, a 2011 short film produced by Technicolor that revolved around Barbie and her sisters to accompany the film, Barbie: A Perfect Christmas.[89]
  • Barbie in the Pink Shoes: Land of Sweets, a 2013 short film and Christmas special for Barbie in the Pink Shoes that was first released in German, then was later dubbed in English.[90]
  • Barbie and the Nutcracker, a 2021 short film released on YouTube as an episode for Barbie's Dreamworld and, along with a doll line, was part of celebrating the 20th anniversary of the first film, Barbie in the Nutcracker.[91]

Related animations

Mattel also featured and/or licensed for Barbie to appear in other related animations which include as follows:

  • Dance! Workout with Barbie, a 1992 30-minute direct-to-video workout tape, featuring Barbie in stop-motion animation by Will Vinton Studios and teaching a dance and aerobics class to real girls.[92]
  • Toy Story, a Disney-Pixar film franchise that started in 1995 and featuring Barbie (and later Ken) as supporting characters from Toy Story 2 onwards and its 2011 short film Hawaiian Vacation.
  • My Scene, a discontinued franchise launched by Mattel in 2002 and featuring Barbie in its web series and in all of its films, namely: Jammin' in Jamaica and Masquerade Madness in 2004 and My Scene Goes Hollywood in 2005.
  • Kelly Dream Club, a 2002 direct-to-video animated series and featuring Barbie as a supporting character to her younger sister, Kelly (renamed Chelsea in 2011).[93]
  • Skipper: Big Babysitting Adventure, an upcoming Barbie "special" on Netflix centered on Barbie's younger sister, Skipper, and is based on the "Skipper: Babysitters, Inc." doll line.[94]

Timeline of media appearances

The earliest appearance of Barbie as a film character is her role in the 1987 TV specials where she was voiced by Sharon Lewis.[95] Jodi Benson voiced Barbie when she appeared in the Toy Story film franchise.[96] In the main Barbie films, Kelly Sheridan voiced Barbie in 27 films altogether.[97] Sheridan was initially succeeded by Diana Kaarina, beginning with Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale in 2010 but later returned to the role with Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2 in 2012.[98] She continued to voice Barbie through 2015 until it was announced that Erica Lindbeck would be taking over in 2016.[99] After the hiatus of the film series in 2017 and its resumption in 2020, America Young who previously voiced the character in the TV series Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures took over the role of Barbie.[100] Margot Robbie is set to portray Barbie in the first live-action adaptation of the toyline to be released in 2023.

Barbie's appearances in films and related media officially licensed by Mattel
Year Title Barbie's roles Portrayed by Notes
1987 Barbie and the Rockers: Out of This World Barbie Sharon Lewis (voice) TV special
Barbie and the Sensations: Rockin' Back to Earth
1992 Dance! Workout with Barbie Jodi Benson (voice) Direct-to-video/featurette
1999 Toy Story 2 Tour Guide Barbie (cameo appeareance) feature film
Barbie as Sleeping Beauty Princess Rose silent appearance TV commercial/short film
2001 Barbie in the Nutcracker Barbie / Clara / Sugar Plum Princess Kelly Sheridan (voice) Direct-to-video
2002 Barbie as Rapunzel Barbie / Rapunzel
Kelly Dream Club Barbie (supporting character)
2002–2007 My Scene Barbie web series (43 episodes with Barbie)
2003 Barbie of Swan Lake Barbie / Odette Direct-to-video
2004 My Scene: Jammin' in Jamaica Barbie
My Scene: Masquerade Madness
Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper Princess Anneliese / Erika
  • Melissa Lyons (singing voice for Anneliese)
  • Julie Stevens (singing voice for Erika)
2005 Barbie: Fairytopia Elina
My Scene Goes Hollywood: The Movie Barbie
Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus Princess Annika
2006 Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia Elina
The Barbie Diaries Barbie Skye Sweetnam (singing voice for Barbie)
Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses Princess Genevieve Melissa Lyons (singing voice for Genevieve)
2007 Barbie Fairytopia: Magic of the Rainbow Elina
Barbie as the Island Princess Ro / Princess Rosella Melissa Lyons (singing voice for Rosella)
2008 Barbie: Mariposa Elina / Mariposa Chiara Zanni (voice for Mariposa)
Barbie & the Diamond Castle Barbie / Liana Melissa Lyons (singing voice for Liana)
Barbie in A Christmas Carol Barbie / Eden Starling
  • Morwenna Banks (voice for Eden Starling)
  • Melissa Lyons (singing voice for Eden)
2009 Barbie Presents: Thumbelina Barbie
Barbie and the Three Musketeers Corinne
2010 Barbie in A Mermaid Tale Merliah Summers Melissa Lyons (singing voice for Merliah)
Toy Story 3 Barbie (support character) Jodi Benson (voice) feature film
Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale Barbie Diana Kaarina (voice) Direct-to-video
2011 Barbie: A Fairy Secret
Barbie: Princess Charm School Blair Willows / Princess Sophia
Barbie: A Perfect Christmas Barbie Jennifer Waris (singing voice for Barbie)
Barbie: A Camping We Will Go short film
Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation Jodi Benson (voice)
2012–2015 Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse Kate Higgins (voice) web series (75 episodes, including 2 TV specials)
2012 Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2 Merliah Summers Kelly Sheridan (voice) Direct-to-video
Barbie: The Princess & the Popstar Princess Tori / Keira
2013 Barbie in the Pink Shoes Kristyn Farraday / Giselle / Odette
Barbie: Mariposa & the Fairy Princess Mariposa
Barbie & Her Sisters in A Pony Tale Barbie
Barbie in the Pink Shoes: Land of Sweets Kristyn Farraday short film
2014 Barbie: The Pearl Princess Princess Lumina Direct-to-video
Barbie and the Secret Door Princess Alexa Brittany McDonald (singing voice for Alexa)
2015 Barbie in Princess Power Princess Kara / Super Sparkle
Barbie in Rock 'N Royals Princess Courtney Jordyn Kane (singing voice for Courtney)
Barbie & Her Sisters in The Great Puppy Adventure Barbie
2015–present Barbie Vlogger America Young (voice) web series (including the short, Barbie: Happy Birthday to You!)
2016 Barbie: Spy Squad Erica Lindbeck (voice) Direct-to-video
Barbie: Star Light Adventure Barbie / Princess Starlight
Barbie & Her Sisters in A Puppy Chase Barbie
2016–2018 Barbie: Dreamtopia TV series (26 episodes + 2 TV specials + 8 shorts)
2017 Barbie: Video Game Hero Direct-to-video
Barbie: Dolphin Magic TV film
2019 Toy Story 4 silent cameo feature film
2018–2020 Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures America Young (voice) TV series (52 episodes, 5 seasons)
2020 Barbie: Princess Adventure Barbie / Princess Amelia
  • Elli Moore (Barbie, singing)
  • Erica Lindbeck (Princess Amelia, speaking)
  • Jordyn Kane (Princess Amelia, singing)
 TV film
2021–present Barbie's Dreamworld Barbie web miniseries (including Barbie: Return to Dreamtopia and Barbie and the Nutcracker)
2021 Barbie & Chelsea: The Lost Birthday TV film
Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams Barbie (Malibu)
2022 Barbie: It Takes Two TV series (26 episodes)
Barbie: Mermaid Power TV film
Barbie: Epic Road Trip
2023 Barbie Barbie Margot Robbie live-action film

Reception

Commercial performance

The first ten films in the franchise sold 40 million DVD and VHS units worldwide by 2007, grossing over $700 million in sales.[101] As of 2013, the films in the franchise has sold over 110 million DVD units worldwide.[102]

# Film U.S. original release date Video sales Sales revenue
1 Barbie in the Nutcracker October 2, 2001 110,000,000[103] $700,000,000[104]
2 Barbie as Rapunzel October 1, 2002
3 Barbie of Swan Lake September 30, 2003
4 Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper September 28, 2004
5 Barbie: Fairytopia March 8, 2005
6 Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus September 20, 2005
7 Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia March 14, 2006
8 The Barbie Diaries May 9, 2006
9 Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses September 19, 2006
10 Barbie Fairytopia: Magic of the Rainbow March 13, 2007
11 Barbie as the Island Princess September 18, 2007 $28,205,093[105]
12 Barbie: Mariposa February 26, 2008 $14,082,768[105]
13 Barbie & the Diamond Castle September 9, 2008 $11,643,793[105]
14 Barbie in A Christmas Carol November 4, 2008 $6,626,008[105]
15 Barbie Presents: Thumbelina March 17, 2009 $11,088,380[105]
16 Barbie and the Three Musketeers September 15, 2009 $19,813,585[105]
17 Barbie in A Mermaid Tale March 2, 2010 $18,295,349[105]
18 Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale September 14, 2010 $19,473,444[105]
19 Barbie: A Fairy Secret March 15, 2011 $14,483,518[105]
20 Barbie: Princess Charm School September 13, 2011 $10,254,239[105]
21 Barbie: A Perfect Christmas November 8, 2011 $13,019,893[105]
22 Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2 February 27, 2012 $14,840,303[105]
23 Barbie: The Princess & the Popstar September 11, 2012 $18,959,311[105]
24 Barbie in the Pink Shoes February 26, 2013 581,187[106] $10,843,872[105]
25 Barbie: Mariposa & the Fairy Princess August 27, 2013 271,194[107] $5,878,488[105]
26 Barbie & Her Sisters in A Pony Tale October 22, 2013 458,026[108] $9,454,173[105]
27 Barbie: The Pearl Princess February 15, 2014 368,500[109] $7,580,205[105]
28 Barbie and the Secret Door August 7, 2014 329,836[110] $8,488,067[110]
29 Barbie in Princess Power February 26, 2015 212,385[111] $4,655,070[105]
30 Barbie in Rock 'N Royals August 13, 2015 131,836[112] $5,006,613[105]
31 Barbie & Her Sisters in The Great Puppy Adventure October 8, 2015 69,950[113] $4,171,779[105]
32 Barbie: Spy Squad January 15, 2016 190,146[114] $2,961,549[114]
33 Barbie: Star Light Adventure August 29, 2016 21,154[115] $2,088,235[105]
34 Barbie & Her Sisters in A Puppy Chase October 18, 2016 22,492[116] $2,095,317[105]
Total 112,656,706 $964,009,052
  • Note: This list will be updated once the information is disclosed.

In other media

Video games

Mattel has produced dozens of Barbie video games since the 1980s. These games often are tie-ins with other titles within the franchise.[117]

Books

Mattel has produced more than 400 books published by multiple authors and publishers based on Barbie since the early 1990s. Every film in the franchise has an eponymous book adaptation.[118]

Comic books

Mattel has produced a series of comic books about Barbie published by Dell Comics between 1962 and 1963 and Marvel Comics between 1991 and 1996. Since 2016, Papercutz is currently the publisher of graphic novels based on Barbie which are usually tie-ins with other titles within the franchise.[119]

  • Barbie and Ken, a 5-issue comic series published by Dell Comics from May 1962 to November 1963.[120]
  • Barbie, a 63-issue comic series published by Marvel Comics from January 1991 to March 1996.[121]
  • Barbie: Fashion, a 53-issue comic series published by Marvel Comics from January 1991 to May 1995.[122]
  • Barbie: Halloween Special, a 2-issue comic series published by Marvel Comics in October 1993.[123]
  • Barbie and Baby Sister Kelly, a special one-shot published by Marvel Comics in October 1995.[124]

Albums

Mattel has released dozens of soundtrack albums and compilation albums based on Barbie since the early 1990s. Most of the films, especially those under the musical genre, are accompanied by their eponymous soundtracks.[125]

  • Barbie Sings! The Princess Movie Collection, a soundtrack album released on 5 October 2004 that features music from the first four Barbie films: Barbie in the Nutcracker, Barbie as Rapunzel, Barbie of Swan Lake, and Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper.[126]
  • Sing Along with Barbie, a direct-to-video released on 9 November 2009 and a compilation of twelve songs from different Barbie films released at that time that its viewers can sing-along to.[127]

In popular media

In February 2021, film and media podcast, Cult Popture, released an 18-hour episode of Film Franchise Fortnights covering all of the 37 Barbie computer-animated films that had been released at the time. During the production of the episode, a 38th film was announced.[128]

Notes

  1. ↑ All Barbie films were released on DVD, although VHS, Blu-ray, and digital copies were added to accompany them. The VHS releases ceased in 2006 after The Barbie Diaries in favor of the DVD releases, while both the Blu-ray and digital copies (branded as "Digital HD") were introduced to accompany the DVD with the release of Barbie in the Pink Shoes in 2013.[3]
  2. ↑ At the beginning of the franchise, the company referred to themselves on-screen as Mattel Entertainment except "The Barbie Diaries" until 2010, when it changed name to Barbie Entertainment solely for Barbie films. With the formation of Mattel Playground Productions in 2013, the company went by that name from late 2014 until mid-2016 when it was replaced with Mattel Creations until the franchise's hiatus in 2017. Upon resumption in 2020, the company adopted its current division's name Mattel Television.
  3. ↑ The studio began the franchise under the name Mainframe Entertainment until 2007 when it was taken over by a Canadian-based consortium and adopted the initial name of Rainmaker Animation and then permanently Rainmaker Entertainment in 2008. After 8 years, the studio rebranded as Rainmaker Studios following acquisitions and internal structural changes. The studio adopted its current name on March 16, 2020.[29]
  4. ↑ In 2006, Curious Pictures produced The Barbie Diaries who also produced all films based on another Mattel doll line, My Scene, which coincidentally featured Barbie, between 2004 and 2005. Technicolor produced the films Barbie: A Perfect Christmas (2011) and Barbie in the Pink Shoes (2013) along with their respective short films.[30] Arc Productions, who first produced the web series, Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse, also produced the films Barbie & Her Sisters in A Pony Tale (2013), Barbie & Her Sisters in The Great Puppy Adventure (2015), Barbie: Star Light Adventure (2016) and began the pre-production for Barbie & Her Sisters in A Puppy Chase in 2016.
  5. ↑ Also known as Barbie Fairytopia: Mariposa (doll line) and Barbie: Mariposa and her Butterfly Fairy Friends (DVD cover art).

References

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  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Vered, Karen Orrl & Maizonniaux, Christèlel, "Barbie and the straight-to-DVD movie: pink post-feminist pedagogy", Feminist Media Studies. Apr 2017, Vol. 17 Issue 2, p198-214. 17p.
  7. ↑ Still, Julie, "Feminist Barbie: Mattel's Remakes of Classic Tales", MP: A Feminist Journal Online. Oct 2010, Vol. 3 Issue 2, p148-164. 17p.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Ault, Susanne, "Girl Power Builds Barbie muscle: Mattel Takes Kids' Fave Forward with U Pact," Daily Variety (February 12, 2007). A11-A13.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Orr, Lisa, "'Difference That is Actually Sameness Mass-Reproduced,: Barbie Joins the Princess Convergence," Jeunesse: Young People, Texts Cultures 1.1 (2009): 9-30.
  10. ↑ "Holding Back the Years." Marketing Week. Marketing Week, 14 Aug. 2008. Web. 22 Apr. 2009.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Gogoi, Pallavi. "Mattel's Barbie Trouble." Business Week Online 18 July 2006: 7. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Mar. 2009.
  12. ↑ Netherby, Jennifer. "Doll Shape Shifts with Times." Daily Variety 9 Feb. 2007. LexisNexis. Web. 25 Oct. 2008.
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  14. ↑ "Barbie's Midlife Crisis." Brand Strategy 14 May 2004: 20+. LexisNexis. Web. 25 Oct. 2008.
  15. ↑ Mattel. "Mattel Incorporated Fourth Quarter 2008 Earnings Conference Call." Mattel. Mattel, 2 Feb. 2009. Web. 16 Mar. 2009.
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External links

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